I couldn't imagine what this crazy huge box was that I found sticking out of my mailbox yesterday. It turned out that is was not a trick, but a wonderful, delightful treat!

It was a gift from friend Mimi...she completely surprised me with this adorable signed and dated poster from her friend Salley Mavor. I have adored Salley work for years and years and Mimi knows this and also knew how much this gift would mean to me. Salley's work is truly special, just look at the details of her work found on this piece.

This self portrait by artist Chuck Close is a standout from my childhood excursions to the Walker Art Center. I distinctly remember taking the bus to the museum with my sister when I was 7 or 8 years old. She always introduced me to all the things she loved. I remember that sense of awe I felt when she told me the enormous 107 1/2 x 83 1/2 in. image in front of me was a painting and not a photograph. And, I could not comprehend how someone could paint smoke that I swore I could smell.

If you are not familiar with Chuck Close here is a short write up of his career defining the change in his paintings after he lost the use of his arms and legs due to a spinal blood clot. Amazing and inspiring that he continues to paint holding the paintbrush between his teeth.

The reason I've had Chuck Close on my mind lately is that a few months ago I was listening to The Antique Road Show and a woman on the program had brought in her original Close painting that her husband had purchased from the artist in 1960 for eight dollars. It is called Man Walking and it is spectacular.

While searching for his paintings on line I also found an article about the original purchase of Man Walking it is a great story. Read about it here.

(I'm starting a new category in my posts called Sunday Stories...just me talking about some things I want to remember)

All these brilliant autumn colors. Makes me feel almost dizzy at times. Mostly it makes me want to capture the colors and hold on to them just a wee bit longer. I dug out an old wool blanket and dyed it the color of autumn...thinking perhaps a wool leaf mobile. The wool turned out beautifully...spotted and mottled like the leaves have been. But then we got our first taste of winter this afternoon and the flakes came down hard for a brief spell. Suddenly it doesn't feel quite like autumn anymore.

This scarf definitely passed the itch test so may end up being Julen's. As much as I love knitting with wool, I have to start rethinking the yarns I use. Sensitive skin and wool do not work well together.

This was a fun piece to knit and very easy (although I started it ages ago), each row is knit the same so there is no right side/wrong side. It creates a lovely pattern with such a basic stitch. I'm sure I'll be making this one again.

Up next: I found this crazy loopy yarn at Michaels yesterday and thought I'd give it a try. I'll see what I can make with two skeins.

It's so nice to have this place to escape to. This beautiful place, a two hours drive from my home, that I share with my sister and brother and their families. It is the dream home my dad and brother built but that my father never got to live in. His spirit is there with us though and I imagine he knows his grandbabies are playing together in the leaves and enjoying the lovely land by the lake.

With a short work and school week last week, I packed up my boys and met my brother and his family at the cabin.

There is always so much to see, so much to discover there. The landscape is constantly changing and being there with my brother I get to see even more-through his eyes. Every tree he had planted or those that have come down...each has it's own story.

There is something about being there with my brother that makes me feel so safe. He is kind and sweet and maybe it is because he is just so much like my father. And I can just feel how much he loves my boys as his own.

There is a freedom at the cabin that my boys don't get in the city. They don't have the boundary's or limits that they have at home and are free to roam and explore and follow their older cousin around (who I believe give my boys the same sense of safety I get with my brother).

We spend a great deal of the long weekend raking and playing in the leaves...

...and we spent a few hours at the local resort for their Oktoberfest and craft fair.

My boys have been fascinated with archery and I was so pleased to find them this bow and arrow set from one of the vendors at the craft fair...

...playing with these pretty much occupied them the rest of the weekend.

Last week was a short school week so the boys and I packed up and went to the cabin. I'm just easing back into our home rhythm, there's so much to catch up on. I have receive so many lovely comments and emails lately (thank you!) and hope to catch up with you all soon. Happy Monday! xx

(No theme mosaic Monday post today-but you can still see what I'm loving this week here at Flickr!)

Here's what we made at the preschool last week. Wee autumn trees for the nature table.

These are the perfect craft for preschoolers. It's a fairly quick and not very messy project, easy for the children to do on their own and the kids were completely delighted with their creations. What more could a teacher (or parent) ask for?

Here's what we did:

we gathered twigs and branches on our morning walk

each child was given a small handful of air drying clay

they rolled the clay into a ball, then flattened the bottom on a tray

they pushed the twigs into the clay

then we got to enjoy the excited squeals of "look!...I made a tree!"

We let the clay dry for 48 hours then at the next class time each child added autumn colored wool roving for the leaves.

We talked about where these would go on their nature tables at home. It was so fun to hear how each of them have a different set-up...a shelf, a table, a mantle. I've also had the great fortune of going to many of these children's homes so I get to see where all the projects they make at Willow House are displayed.

We found a nice place for my tree on the nature table at the preschool.

We also talked about how to help our tree change with the seasons, by removing the wool roving "leaves" and replacing it with something white as the snow begins to fall.

Julen was so excited by his new trees, that he played with his nature table the entire weekend.

Sometimes when the moment is right, I can see a project through from start to finish in less than an hour. This knit pumpkin pattern caught my eye last week (found via) so on my way out the door to the preschool this morning, I grabbed some orange wool and the only DPN's I could find. I was able to knit this up during free play today.

The DPN's I used, however, were a zero (not the recommended size 4) so mine came out to be a tiny little thing.